LNJP doctors face inquiry after alive preterm baby declared dead at the hospital

New Delhi: The newborn preterm girl was "declared dead" soon after birth at the Delhi government-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital and was found alive stuffed in a sealed cardboard box about an hour and a half later when the family members were making plans for her burial. 

A senior doctor at the city government's largest hospital said it was a regular delivery, but the mother was just 23 weeks pregnant and the pre-term baby "weighed only 490 grams".

He added that the authorities have set up a three-member panel led by the Head of the Department of Gynaecology to probe into the matter and the report will be submitted on Wednesday.

According to the mother of the newborn, the baby is currently at the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital and is recovering but her condition is critical.

"Yesterday, my niece was born. She was alive but they declared her dead," Md Salman, the infant's uncle, alleged.

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The incident came to light on Monday after a video showing the baby in a box became widely circulated on social media.

The family admitted that the video was shot by them after they brought the infant back to the hospital.

The baby's 35-year-old mother has another daughter, aged three. The baby's father works in the business of simple toolmaking, the family said.

"The baby was handed over to us in a box and we took her to our home in New Mustafabad. We had started making preparations for her burial and ordered to prepare a grave for her. Around 7.30 pm, when we opened the box, we saw the baby moving her legs and arms. We immediately rushed her back to hospital," an aggrieved Salman told PTI over the phone.

The baby's father even called the PCR helpline, but police only took some notes on a "rough piece of paper" when they came, he claimed.

A senior police official said no formal complaint had been lodged by the family.

Salman, the baby's uncle, also alleged that when they reached the hospital, the doctors "shut their rooms and refused to admit the baby again."

"The guards misbehaved with us. We protested and asked them to admit the child but they refused to budge. We called the police, who then intervened and got the baby admitted again," Salman said.

He said the family does not know the current condition of the baby. 

"Her mother is admitted in a ward while the baby is in the nursery. We want the baby to be put on ventilator support but the hospital is not doing anything. We want action against the hospital," Salman said.

However, the senior LNJP Hospital doctor said, "The woman was brought to the hospital with stomach pain. She was 23 weeks pregnant. It was a normal delivery on Sunday, but the baby weighed only 490 grams. In medical terms, such babies are considered aborted babies." Efforts were made to resuscitate the baby, the doctor said.

"After the baby showed some movement, the baby was immediately put on life support and is currently on ventilator support," he added.

Another senior doctor at the hospital told TH, “This is true. The baby was packed in a box and given to the family. Later, they [family members] came back and there was a commotion at the hospital, following which the baby was readmitted.” 

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri latched on to the incident and hit out at the Arvind Kejriwal government.

"The Kejriwal government describes Delhi's health services as world class and calls LNJP Hospital its best hospital. This incident has exposed all the false claims of the Delhi government," he said.

In a statement issued by the BJP's Delhi unit, Mr Bidhuri expressed "deep sorrow and disappointment" over the matter.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the Health department portfolio, "should immediately resign on moral grounds", Mr Bidhuri demanded.

Mr Bidhuri said the woman was admitted to the hospital on February 17 and gave birth to a girl on the evening of February 19.

"But the doctors declared her dead and packed her in a glove box and handed her over to the family. When the family opened the box after coming home, the child was found alive," the BJP leader alleged.

"After that, when the family went back to the hospital, the doctors, far from accepting their mistake, even refused to admit the child. What can be more inhuman than this that the child could be admitted later only with the help of the police," he claimed.

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